Most of us are aware of the benefits of installing a home alarm system of some type. In actual fact crime statistics suggest that by not installing a home alarm you are 10 times more likely to fall victim to a break-in or burglary. It seems these days that the market is flooded with a multitude of options, gone are the days of there being a choice of one or two suppliers. Now there are tens of manufacturers producing a hugely varied selection of products; from monitored fully wired alarms for which you pay monthly to single sensor GSM alarms that you buy outright.

However the purpose of this article isn’t to educate you in the different types of home alarms available, but in fact bring to your attention some of the security gadgets available and technological advancements which could make your home alarm system even more effective.

Smartphone alarm applications

It would seem that most new mobile phones purchased are of the ‘smart’ variety. If you own a smartphone and your home alarm system comes from one of the big manufacturers then there is probably an app available which could really save you time (and make you look very cool). Take the ADT “pulse” system; the app allows you to arm and disarm each of your home’s zones, receive text and video alerts from your home, watch real-time video, adjust lighting and temperature… to mention just a few. In my opinion it is almost worth going out and getting an alarm just to get my hands on an app like this.

Record your own dog alarm

Let’s face it potential burglars must be getting bored with ‘beware of the dog’ signs and regular barking dog alarms. Most burglars aren’t your typical bumbling oaf from the movies and more often than not will watch a target property for a few days; therefore noticing if you have a dog or not. For dog owners who are going on holiday or out of town however there is a clever option. Some more recent alarms give you the opportunity to record your own dog’s barks, increasing the authenticity and likelihood the burglar will actually believe it.

3. DIY alarms

Gone are the days of you needing to spend thousands on a home alarm, where a professional installation team measures, plots out and designs a ‘security plan’ for you. Now you can pick up a DIY home alarm from any number of manufacturers. These wire free alarms (not hooked up to mains or wired into a complicated circuit) are typically a fraction of the cost of a wired product and still benefit from all the technological advancements. The basic Yale DIY alarm comes with a control panel, outside box, PIR sensors and a siren; creating a secure home at a fraction of the cost and disruption.

4. World’s smallest PIR sensor

PIR (passive infra red) sensors are typically the wall mounted units which detect movement within a certain space. They are usually a pretty uniform in size; that was until the espionage technology made its way into the market. The SPY PIR measures just 19mm x 70mm, making it the smallest sensor available on the market. When you think about it the uses for such a small PIR sensor are endless, I suspect however that in the years to come they will get even smaller.

Motion sensor spy hole camera

Ever wondered who had been up to your door whilst you are away or on holiday? Well lucky for you the security product market now has a number of motion sensor spy hole cameras which can tell you just that. Triggered my movement, most of these systems will take and store around 50mb of data meaning there won’t be any visitors who aren’t captured.